I decided that I'm going to embrace my 2b-2c hair (I think it's a 2b or 2c, correct me if I'm wrong please!) and not straighten or put it in a ponytail anymore, but I have NO idea how to get the hair i want. I just want my waves to be consistent and not crunchy, almost beach-y I guess. Do you know any products that will hold my waves without making them crunchy or stiff? I really want to avoid using any heat unless it's just to touch it up or dry it. Oh, and should I use a leave-in conditioner or a type of serum??? Do I need lots of layers, or just a few? My hair is pretty thick and poofy when it's completely dried.

I posted a pic. of my hair once it's been wrapped up in a towel and still a bit damp (This picture was taken before I got my hair trimmed and my layers re-cut).

1. find out your hair properties (density, texture etc)
2. mousse would probably work well for you, just looking at your pic
3. scrunch out the crunch after your hair has dried completely. There is no reason why a curly should have crunchy hair...
4. If your hair is prone to being dry a leave in would be nice.
5. lots of layers would probably look good, but you could easily get away with long layers. I like how your hair is now

You definitely dont have to have crunchy hair! A lot of us let our gel dry crunchy to form and hold the curl or wave. Then, when the hair is completely dry, scrunch out the crunch to break up the gel cast. Your hair will remember the shape of the curl, but will be soft once the gel cast has been removed.

I agree with Sara & Lucky - you need the crunch to get the hold & definition you're looking for. Once it dries, 'scrunch out the crunch'! Also agree with Sara that you should try to find out your hair properties. Is your hair fine with low porosity? If so, you'll probably want to use products with a lot of protein, and maybe even do protein treatments every so often. But if your hair is more toward the coarse/ porous end you would probably avoid protein and look to do a lot of deep conditioning treatments. There's a lot more to it than this but the point is, the most helpful thing for you in determining how to treat your hair is to know its properties! Good luck!

I'm just basically repeating other posters, but I completely agree that the most important things I've learned are to:
1. Scrunch out the crunch - I need the hard hold gel cast to set so my waves will stay all day, but once it's dry, scrunching the crunch gives me beautiful, soft looking waves - I couldn't stand it if I only could walk around with crunchy hair and had no other option
2. Learning your properties is incredibly helpful (I just couldn't figure mine out so I sent mine off for a hair analysis and it was probably the best money I spent when it comes to my CG journey - I was pretty far off on what I thought were my hair properties and once I found out what they actually were, it demystified a lot of things)

I have 2B hair and now that it's cooler and drier outside, I have been using Smooth 'N Shine Curl Activating Mousse. It leaves my hair soft & shiny and it's only about $3 at Target. During the summer, I LOVE AG Beach Bomb for soft, beachy waves. My hair is a moisture maniac, so I never go without my leave-in. I'm still experimenting with my perfect shampoo/condition combo, but I've been using Shea Moisture Raw Shea Butter shampoo & conditioner. I get those also at Target for about $10 a piece. I need to find a good deep conditioning mask though, because my normal routine isn't enough moisture now. I usually wash every other day, but more like every 2 days now, and instead of a towel I use one of my man's t-shirts.